Phase IIIb complete

Finally, a cool morning. It's been two weeks since I've been able to get up on the roof to work on the solar box. At that time I mounted J-channel pieces around the whole of the back side of the box and around the horizontal and vertical bits of the east and west sides.

Big gap.

I started looking at the diagonals and discovered that they weren't cut exactly straight.

After the work already put in to make the door and straighten the curvyness a bit, I didn't want to go out and get new wood, cut it properly, and repeat the work already done. The biggest problem was on the east side where wood was missing in a big space where the J-channel had to be attached. I managed to plug the gap using some spare plywood (for backing and attachment) and a 1/2X2" strip (for gap filler). That worked out handsomely. A hot stretch ensued preventing me from mounting the roof (too much walking around, even carefully, will damage the shingles).

Latch engaged.

Yesterday, a break came and I scampered up to finish the J-channel work, which went smoothly. I also fabbed a latch to prevent the east side door from blowing open in a southerly wind. That happened one morning as we were having our coffee -- it sounded like the back garage door had blown shut (a frequent occurrence) so we weren't concerned. I was out checking the garden when I noticed the solar box door opened. The latch is just an aluminum strip screwed tightly to the back of the door, with a slot in the exposed portion to slip over a screw in the box frame. It should hold up in everything short of a gale.

I also did a little work on the insulation on the pipes in and out of the solar panels. The lower one over the front window has been a long-time source of a leak into the attic. There have been no leaks since the roofing job, even in the heaviest of rains. I think the problem may have been the fact that I had completely sealed the pipe in foam, then painted it yearly with a water based roofing compound. I found the panels themselves aren't watertight when I had to replace the broken glass a couple years back, and water may have trickled out the lowest panel, down the pipe, through the watertight foam and into the attic. Part of the foam was dislodged by the roofing crew allowing the water to drop off the pipe onto the roof. Thus, no more leak. The upper pipe was a favorite perch for any number of birds, whose claws gradually shredded the foam, which also weathered badly in the sun. So, new foam and a section of PVC pipe to surround it. (That'll show those pesky birds!)

Coming in the next couple months, the mounting of the siding panels to match the rest of the house.